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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — the fish
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — the amount
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chair — a leader
  14. track — a song
  15. toast — bread
  16. pitch — completely
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com